Smoked meats go back centuries. It was a way past cultures could preserve meats from going back when there was no refrigeration. Meat would be cured in salt and smoked where it could last years without spoiling.

Today, smoking meat is still done for creating many popular types of smoked meats like bacon, ham, and smoked fish. It’s also handy for adding flavor to dishes like pulled pork. We’re here to share our ultimate guide into smoked meat to help get you started.

What is Smoked Meat?

Smoked meat is meat and seafood that is exposed to smoke at low temperatures. It’s usually treated to a dry rub of sugar and salt first and then placed into a smoker where it absorbs smoke for hours.

If you’re thinking of smoked meats, you’re thinking of things like bacon, barbecued ribs, pastrami, smoked sausages, brisket, and even hams. Smoked meat often uses a cheaper cut of meat that isn’t as tender.

Smoking in for hours at 200 to 300 degrees F breaks down the tougher tissue and makes the meat melt in your mouth. Temperature is key. You don’t want the meat to cook too quickly. It needs time to absorb the flavoring the smoke adds.

Equipment Needed for Smoked Meat

Fancy equipment isn’t needed for smoked meat. If you have a gas or charcoal grill that seals well, you’re set. You will need wood chips. There are so many kinds of wood chips. These are the ones that are easiest to find.

Apple

Cherry

Hickory

Maple

Mesquite

Oak

You might find blends, too. A blend usually has a mix of three or four types of wood chips. A typical combination is apple, hickory, and oak. You can also create your own if you have favourites.

If you’re throwing them right onto coals, you should soak them for at least 30 minutes prior to use. If you’d rather skip this step, save yourself some hassle and purchase a smoker box.

A smoker box is a stainless steel, heat-proof box with a hinged lid. Fill the box with wood chips and set it on the grill. As it heats up, the wood chips smolder and release smoke. If you’re using a gas grill, a smoker box is a must.

Types of Meats to Smoke

Any tougher cut of meat is ideal for smoking. You can also smoke fish, poultry, and game. Some of the more popular cuts for smoking are:

Beef brisket

Pork ribs

Turkey legs

If you’re feeling adventurous and have a crowd coming over, a whole smoked pig makes for a stunning meal. You can also smoke a lamb leg and feed a crowd.

Benefits of Smoked Meat

Smoked meat cooks a low temperature, so you don’t have to be actively manning the grill for hours. You actually want to get it started, get the temperature set, and leave it alone. You’ll need to be around and make sure the temperature isn’t dropping too much or getting too high. You don’t have to be turning the meat constantly.

Meat is full of protein, but there’s also fat. Smoking renders fat, so it can be lower in fat.

Tips for Perfect Smoked Meats

#1 – Monitor the Temperature

If you don’t already have a digital thermometer with a wired probe, you should invest in one. A thermometer that connects to Wi-Fi and sends alerts to your phone is even better. If the temperature fluctuates too much, you’ll know instantly and can adjust as needed. You’ll also know when the meat you’re smoking is at the correct temperature.

#2 – Save Money and Smoke Sale Meats

Stock up on meats you find on sale or in clearance bins. They tend to be the tougher cuts of meat that people don’t buy as readily. They’re perfect for smoking.

#3 – Don’t Buy Pre-Packaged Spice Rubs

Another tip for saving is to skip buying spice rubs in the baking aisle. Make your own rubs. You’ll get a fresher rub that you can make in bulk and store in the freezer. You want a sugar to salt ratio of about 3:1. Add spices like paprika, chili powder, black pepper, cinnamon, and whatever suits you.

Top 10 Smoked Meat Recipes You Need To Try

Fire up your grill, add some wood chips, and start smoking. If you’re looking for some inspiration, try these smoked meat recipes.

My daughter eats chicken wings like a dog. She will literally eat the entire wing meat until you are left with a shiny bone. She is 3 and I can’t believe for her age how much she likes chicken wings like this at such a young age.

Is Cave Tools Meat Smoker Worth It?

Our verdict

I love cooking with wood chips. Whether I’m cooking on the charcoal grill or in our small smoker, ribs, pulled pork, and brisket all benefit from the smokiness gained by adding some soaked chips to charcoal or a foil package of wood chips on the grates of the gas grill. This was my first try with a smoker box, and I was very pleased with the Cave Tools Smoker Box.

The box is very durable. It’s made of thick stainless steel and didn’t show any signs of warping after a couple hours of use. Plus, it was so easy to clean up after. There are no holes in the bottom, so the wood chips don’t burn to ashes. They char and smoulder but remain whole. When I was done, I waited for the box to cool, tipped the chips into the compost bin, and was done with clean-up. I love how quick and easy it was to clean the grill after.

There’s no soaking the chips. Flip open the lid, fill the box with whatever wood chips you prefer, close the lid and place it on the grate. The instructions say to place it between the flavorizer bars and grill grate. I was baffled. I had to look up flavorizer bar and found that it’s just the shield that keeps juices and grease from falling onto the burner. Mine is so angled, there’s no way this box would sit on that bar anyway. I placed them right on the grill grate.

Once in place, it took about 10 minutes before I could see and smell smoke coming from the box. I added the pork shoulder, turned off that side of the grill so that I had the meat off the flames and cooking at just over 225 degrees F. Every 30 minutes or so, I checked the level of the charred chips. They did seem to burn out after about 45 minutes, so I added them when needed.

Once I’d smoked the pork for a couple hours, I moved it to my slow cooker with onions and beer. It was the greatest pulled pork I’ve made in a while. I saved propane, didn’t have to spend all day checking the grill in between chores, and the smoker box kept away the mess, which is a definite win-win.

Overall – The Cave Tools Stainless Steel Smoker Box for wood chips is worth every penny. It’s so easy to use. It’s even easier to clean up after. The smoke infused the pork with the flavour I wanted and never got messy. You have to try this grill accessory. Once you have, you’ll wish you tried it ages ago.

You can buy the Cave Tools Meat Smoker by clicking on the banner or by clicking here. We wholeheartedly recommend it for providing you with the best smoked meat solution.

Or even better Save 15% off any purchase on their website by using the coupon code MEDIUMRARE (all caps).

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We’re The Milners

Hello we’re the Milners and we run RecipeThis.com from our country cottage in Southern Portugal. The Milners is made up of husband and wife duo Dominic & Samantha along with their kids Kyle, Sofia & Jorge. They love cooking with local Mediterranean ingredients and are addicted to chocolate. If they could cook for the rest of their lives with just kitchen gadgets then they would!